Claire Fleming and Zoe Lawson shared their views of maternity services in two different parts of the country as John Swinney faces calls for his Government to take action.
Two mums have spoken out over their experiences of maternity and neonatal services in Scotland amid calls for a national investigation into standards of care.
Claire Fleming and Zoe Lawson opened up about what they described as an “obvious” decline in standards in recent years.
It comes as John Swinney has faced demands from Scottish Labour for an urgent review after inspectors raised “serious concerns” about maternity services at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary.
A previous inspection at Ninewells Hospital in Dundee raised concerns about staff shortages and delays in assessing expectant mothers.
Labour warned there were also issues in rural communities with some mothers having to travel more than 100 miles to give birth.
Claire, who lives near Stranraer, said: “The decline in maternity services has been obvious through my pregnancies. I had my children in 2012, 2015, 2019 and 2021.
“My first daughter was still-born but the support I had was brilliant compared to when I had my son Andrew in 2021, by which time it was awful.
I had extreme morning sickness known as hyperemesis and gestational diabetes, and for every single appointment I had to travel 70 miles to Dumfries, even if it was just for five minutes.
“Managing childcare with two other children was very difficult.”
Zoe, whose son was born prematurely and spent time in Ninewells NICU, said: “Without the specialist neonatal care he received there, my son would not be here today. The idea that services like this could be reduced or removed is not just concerning, it is terrifying.
“I lived through the reality of what these units are for. They are not a ‘nice to have’ or an optional service that families can travel hours for. When your baby is critically ill, every minute counts.
“The thought of mothers and fathers having to travel long distances, be separated from their premature or sick newborns, or watch their baby fight for life without the same level of specialist support, is unimaginable, yet that is exactly what these proposals would force families to face.”
Jackie Baillie, Scottish Labour health spokeswoman, said: “We need a national investigation, not in place of the Taskforce but alongside it, starting now.
“We need maternity services that wrap their arms around women and babies rather than expecting them to wait to be induced for days, because it’s more convenient.
“We need more than three specialist neonatal services to cover the diverse geography of Scotland. We need to learn from best international practice to deliver the highest standards of remote and rural care.”
Neil Gray, the Health Secretary, said: “The safety and wellbeing of mothers and their babies is our top priority. The findings of the recent inspection into NHS Lothian are unacceptable and deeply distressing for families.
“I want to reassure families that Scotland’s maternity services are safe, and hospitals remain the best place to give birth.
“We are committed to continually improving these services to ensure they are transparent, compassionate and deliver high-quality care.
“It is important that Healthcare Improvement Scotland continue with their inspections of every maternity unit in the country as this will allow us to take immediate and decisive action at a local level to improve services for women.
“The new Neonatal and Maternity Taskforce established by the Scottish Government will also review the findings of these inspections and if the Taskforce recommends a further national investigation, then we will take this forward.
“As for neonatal services, I can assure the public that no neonatal unit is closing.”
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